By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
It’s not often that a classic car comes with its own dinosaur collection. Make that a miniature dinosaur collection.
Among the more than 30 vintage cars and trucks lining Sea Isle City’s oceanfront Promenade during a classic auto show Sunday was a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air owned by Jeff Di Cesare.
The meticulously restored Bel Air drew admiring looks from car buffs, but what really caught their attention was the comical display of Mattel toy dinosaurs in front of the Chevy. Two of the dinosaurs were standing in a child’s pedal car toy, as if they were passengers hitching a ride.
“I like dinosaurs,” said a smiling Di Cesare, who confided that his favorite movie is “Jurassic Park.
His green and white Bel Air is nicknamed Dino-Might, another part of the car’s whimsical dinosaur theme.
Whoever said car collecting is serious business?
The classic auto show and a parade of vintage cars and trucks around town Sunday capped the annual Fall Family Festival, Sea Isle’s largest autumn event. Thousands of people packed the Promenade on Saturday and Sunday for a family-friendly weekend of food, shopping, amusement rides, live music and old cars.
Car aficionados strolled the Promenade while marveling over beautifully restored autos mainly from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.
Di Cesare and his wife, Lauren, who live in Sea Isle, split their time discussing both their car and the dinosaur display to spectators.
The Bel Air was little more than a rusty wreck when Di Cesare acquired it five years ago. Things were so bad that snakes had been living in the car at some point. While cleaning out the engine, Di Cesare discovered old snake skins, he said.
“It was really bad. This thing was completely rotted. It took about two years to restore,” said Di Cesare, 59, who gave his brother, Jack, the credit for bringing the car back to life.
The Bel Air was resplendent in a rally green color scheme trimmed with white paint and big chrome bumpers.
Di Cesare, a painting contractor, displayed a comical sign on the Bel Air’s back seat that had a dinosaur on it and included the warning, “Do not touch. Violators will be eaten!”
Now that the car has been extensively restored, Di Cesare values the Bel Air at $30,000. But he doesn’t plan to sell it.
“You would never give it away, right?” his wife, Lauren, asked him.
“Nah,” Di Cesare quickly responded.
Tom and Nancy Ade, though, are looking for a buyer for their 1957 Ford Thunderbird. The Mays Landing couple have owned the vintage car for 32 years, but are willing to sell it now for $29,000 or the best offer. When they bought it, they paid $22,000, Tom Ade said.
Over the years, Ade, who is 82, and his 78-year-old wife had the pearl white T-bird repainted, overhauled the engine and put in new seats.
Of all places, Tom Ade bought the car when it was serving as an advertising display in a men’s shop at the Caesars casino hotel in Atlantic City.
The head-turning T-bird has collected a bunch of car show trophies over the years. Nancy Ade said she has a found a place to donate the trophies.
At least they aren’t dinosaurs.
The car show included two grand prize trophies. They included:
Best of Show: 1963 Lincoln Continental, owned by Giovanni Badalamenti of Collegeville, Pa.
Mayor’s Choice: 1957 DeSoto Firedome, owned by Perry Rogers of Collegeville, Pa.
